Discoveries
by Rise of the Blossom
Summary: Before all of the drama and the pain, before all of the confusion and the heartbreak, there had been them. Just them. And they had been happy.
1. Why?

**Warning: Prequel to** _They Never Knew._ **Also rated 'M' for a reason.**

* * *

 **Discoveries**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Why?**

Everything had been going normally for him until he heard what had been bugging Naruto for the past week and a half.

For the past week and a half, the blond had been moping around and sulking, had been looking utterly depressed. The only time that he hadn't, was when Naruto was talking to Sakura. It had confused him for a short while, but no more than a day. It wasn't all that strange for him to be happy around her – he loved Sakura, after all.

Dark eyes narrowed.

"What do you think that means, Sasuke?"

He couldn't find his voice.

Why was he feeling this… this burning _anger_ in his gut? Why did his hands only stop twitching when he fisted them and they were unable to move? Sasuke tried taking deep breaths, tried to keep himself calm, but nothing worked. All he wanted to do right at that moment in time was smash his fist into Naruto's face and he couldn't even understand why!

"I mean…" Naruto glanced up at the sky, his brows furrowing. "I don't…"

His previous words repeated in Sasuke's mind like loud sirens, completely blocking out what Naruto was now saying. He could only catch the beginning or the end of his sentences.

So they had had sex.

Naruto and Sakura had slept together.

Sasuke wasn't too sure as to why he was so surprised – Naruto's feelings for Sakura were hardly discreet. Everybody, _everybody_ , knew about them. Maybe it was because, in a way, he'd always thought of Sakura as… Well, as _his_. She'd always hang around him, cheer him on, things like that. Sakura had always made her feelings for him known.

Why would she have sex with Naruto if she was supposedly in love with Sasuke? That was what he couldn't seem to understand.

He was silent as he glared down at the ground, ignoring Naruto as the blond continued to sulk. Apparently, he had told Sakura that he loved her, but she hadn't said it back. What did that mean? Obviously, that she didn't love him, but what about her feelings for Sasuke? Why would Sakura sleep with Naruto if she had no feelings for him? Was she confused? Hurt? Unsure? Maybe even scared? But why would she be feeling that way?

"It just happened." Naruto mumbled suddenly, like he could read Sasuke's confusing thoughts. They'd always been close like that. "We were watching a movie and then…"

"And then you were suddenly fucking her."

"Don't say it like that!" the blond snapped angrily and defensively, his glare harsh and vicious. "It wasn't anything like that!"

"Then what was it like?" Sasuke didn't even know why his tone was so sharp. He couldn't understand why it felt as though he was being punched in the gut. "You're making it sound as though Sakura's a slut," Which was probably what was angering Sasuke so much, "when it takes two to have sex."

"…I thought it was more." Naruto muttered, his eyes staring off into the distance.

And why wasn't Sasuke surprised when he followed Naruto's line of view, that it was Sakura he was staring at? She seemed a little different, now that he thought about it. There was a more obvious sway in her hips. No, that wasn't all. Sakura's sexuality had been awakened – it was more obvious. Or was that the wrong word to use? Whatever it was, Sakura now had everyone's attention. All eyes were on her whether she knew it or not. Every sway of her hips, every bat of her long and thick, black eyelashes, every lingering look, was driving all the guys at Konoha High insane.

…Including himself.

It startled Sasuke how his heart was beating faster, pounding away in his chest, how his blood was boiling, how his stomach was suddenly warming in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. In his mind, several scenarios flashed by and they were so very vivid. Most of them were of Sakura underneath him, trembling and writhing in ecstasy, screaming and panting and moaning his name.

"Where are you going?" The voice behind him sounded startled, most likely worried that Sasuke was about to say something to Sakura about what he had been told. "I never called Sakura–chan a whore!"

Never said that he had, Sasuke vaguely recalled. It felt like it took forever before he was standing in front of Sakura, enjoying the way her attention was immediately on nothing but him and ignoring the fact that there were glares attempting to pierce his skull. Pathetic. Those losers thought they had a chance with Sakura?

"Sasuke–kun!" Sakura smiled brightly when she spotted him, resting a hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side. "You're lucky I'm used to that look of yours, otherwise I would have probably run away."

What look? Sasuke deadpanned. No emotion could be seen through a deadpan unless you were Naruto or Sakura, of course. "Stop exaggerating."

"Whatever!" She rolled her apple green eyes and turned her back to him, almost flooring Sasuke with the look she threw over her shoulder that was most definitely an invitation. "You coming?"

Those images were back. "…Yeah."

Since they were still both underage, neither had cars and had to get the bus. It was such a pain because they lived so far out, which meant their bus came at longer intervals than the others. Whilst most buses were every ten to fifteen minutes, theirs was every forty to forty–five minutes. It meant they'd have to wait around now for their bus thanks to Sakura's class being held back. True, Sasuke could have simply gone without her, but he very much preferred getting the bus with Sakura rather than without.

She kept the annoying fan–girls (even though they were rare on his bus) from throwing themselves on him, and she utterly petrified the students in the lower years, so they didn't dare throw things or scream at one another. Just remembering how noisy and unnecessarily hyperactive they had been one time when Sakura had not gotten on the bus, made Sasuke need to hold back a shudder.

It was safe to say that the bus drivers adored her.

"You seem different today, Sasuke–kun." Sakura purred and his blood was boiling again as she suddenly turned and leaned in closer, unnecessarily feeling his forehead. "You're burning up!" All teasing left her features and voice and she seemed genuinely concerned. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"

That was how you could tell if Sakura was being serious. The '–kun' suffix would be dropped.

"Fine." He swatted her hand away and began walking, knowing already that she would follow. She did. "Are we going to the shop?"

This was their routine every day after school. Since it was on the way to the bus stop and they had more than enough time, Sasuke and Sakura always went to the shop that was on the way. Then, while munching on the snacks they had bought, they would walk to the bus stop and wait there for the remainder of the time.

"Yeah." she mumbled in return, her eyebrows knitting together as she stared up at his features. "Are you sure you're okay, Sasuke?"

He sighed. Having her worry over him was a mixture of feelings, though there were two feelings that always stood out more than the others: annoyance and a strange sense of comfort. It was nice to have Sakura looking out for him like that. It reminded him of how his mother had always worried over his health. No, Sasuke wasn't saying Sakura was exactly like his mother (not a chance, as his mother had been very calm and softly spoken, whereas Sakura was hot–tempered and loud), but there were a few characteristics that she had picked up from Mikoto.

Sasuke shut those thoughts down immediately. Two years had flown by since the deaths of his parents and it still hurt as though it was only yesterday.

In reply, he grunted and Sakura sighed. She knew not to push him when he dropped all words and instead answered with grunts or, if she was lucky, 'hn'.

It was a ten minute walk from school to the shop and since Naruto lived on the other side of town, the part that was closer to town centre, it was only Sasuke and Sakura. He didn't mind, in all honesty. When they were alone, she could be pleasant to be around. Well, when she wasn't hyper and talking non–stop.

Today, Sasuke wasn't too sure as to whether he wanted to be alone with Sakura or not. Except for those dirty thoughts that he had no right to be seeing, only one thing kept going through his mind. It was easy to keep that thing back as they stopped off at the shop, but the moment they were sat at the bus stop and there was nothing to talk about, it fell from his lips without permission.

"Why?"

 _Damn it!_

Sakura paused, tilting her head to the side. "Why?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction. Was he supposed to play it down and ignore her, pretend he had been asking about something else, or simply get it over with? While Sasuke wanted to know just what the hell had been going through her mind to do such a thing with Naruto, of all people, he didn't want to start any fights. At least, not between Sakura and Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked softly.

There were times when Sasuke absolutely loathed Sakura's eyes. Sometimes, they were too wide, too innocent and carefree. Most of the time it was because of the colour of them, the brightness – all stunning. It was mainly because of the emotions in her eyes, though. The tenderness, the concern and the… the _love_.

She didn't even bother to hide the fact she was in love with him.

"You had sex with Naruto."

Silence.

Sasuke didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the road in front of him, watching with an empty expression as cars flew by, as other buses came and went. The weather was okay. It could've been better, but it also could have been worse, he supposed. At least it wasn't lashing it down with rain. It was only slightly windy.

"And you want to know why?"

The quiet voice had Sasuke finally glancing down at Sakura, though the look on her face, the sadness in her eyes, had him frowning. "Yeah."

She took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I… I don't know." Sakura murmured, averting her eyes. "At the time it seemed like a good idea."

And it was with the small, painful smile she sent him that Sasuke realised something that caused _him_ pain, although he wasn't sure why.

Sakura was lonely.

"But not anymore?"

She shook her head, looking away again. "It shouldn't have happened, but at the same time, it could have been so much worse. I could have given myself to someone who didn't have any feelings for me, who would turn around the next day and tell everyone about it." Sakura sighed, rubbing her arm nervously. "I trust Naruto and I love him with all my heart. But I'm not _in love_ with him."

Yet he had still told him. Sasuke shook his head at his own thoughts. No, Naruto had only told Sasuke because he hadn't been sure on what to do. Should he try to pursue Sakura? Should he give her some space to think everything through? Had he destroyed their seemingly unbreakable friendship? Did it count as a one night stand? Naruto had actually spewed out all of those questions in less than thirty seconds – and added more! It was like those questions had exploded out of him faster than he could stop them. In the end, Sasuke had punched him over the head and told him calm down, that he should start from the beginning.

"I'm guessing Naruto told you?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Are you… Are you mad at me?"

Yes. For some strange reason he felt betrayed. "I have no reason to be angry."

Sakura looked away. "…Oh."

What had she expected? Some sort of dramatic outburst where he exclaimed his love for her? _What love_? No, he wasn't being childish or pathetic – he loved her, but wasn't _in love_ with her. They were friends and she meant too much to him for them to mess everything up with things like romance. Just take a look at her and Naruto! Even though he had been smiling whenever she was around, being his usual cheery self, deep down, he was hurting.

And Sakura couldn't even look Naruto in the eye.

"Bus." Sasuke muttered as he stood up, grateful that the bus was on time today instead of ten minutes late.

Sakura stood up silently, following Sasuke onto the bus once it had stopped for them. He wished she would stop looking like that, like he had just rejected her. Sighing, Sasuke took his seat at the back of the bus, putting his bag on the seat opposite him. Sakura sat beside him a moment later, doing the same thing with her bag.

The journey was silent and while it wasn't unusual for conversation to be quiet between them, it felt different this time. Uncomfortable. Deafening. Sasuke was aware of the fact Sakura kept glancing up at him, but he kept his eyes staring out of the window even when it made him dizzy after a while, appearing as though he was lost in his thoughts.

Almost fifty torturous minutes later and they finally arrived at their stop. Sasuke had never felt more relieved to get off of the bus and he hated public transportation. It was just that look on Sakura's face, her body language, the defeated sighs she kept quietly releasing. It was all too much.

It sounded bigheaded, but Sasuke knew she was in love with him, although it still confused him as to why she would sleep with Naruto while apparently in love with Sasuke.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke–kun?"

He didn't even glance at her as he walked away. "Hn."


	2. Where Are You?

**Chapter 2 – Where Are You?**

It had been ten months since Sakura had slept with Naruto.

He still couldn't let it go.

Part of him was still screaming that he should feel betrayed, that he had every right to be angry with Sakura. But _why?_ Why did he feel betrayed if there were no romantic feelings between them? He–

Stupid.

He was stupid and a liar.

No romantic feelings? Bullshit. Every fibre of Sakura's body called to him and if it was not her words forcing him to listen to her love declarations, or to her silent exclamations of her love for him, then her body was literally yelling it at him. No matter what Sakura wore, his mind would always come up with some way of making it seem more sexual than it actually was and if it couldn't, then it would force Sasuke to watch himself removing those clothes.

Those thoughts were always torturous.

After finding out about them sleeping together and confronting Sakura about it, it was like something had changed in her and he couldn't explain what it was. Well, he could, but at the same time, he couldn't.

It had been small, unimportant things at first. For example, her being more irritable than usual. Yes, Sakura had always had an easily angered, violent side to her, though not to this extent. She snapped at teachers whereas before, Sakura had always been respectful to their faces, understanding clearly that they were her superiors, therefore she _had_ to show them respect.

Sakura was in pain. He could see it, Naruto could see it – the best the blond could offer her was space and even then, that didn't seem to help. Leaving her to her thoughts only seemed to make it worse, too, for Sasuke had noticed that it made her even angrier. With who, exactly, he couldn't be too sure, but something was nagging at him that it was herself. Sakura was angry with herself.

Today, however, Sakura's impending breakdown was the least of his concerns.

It was the first of December.

In other words, it was the anniversary of the day his parents had died.

Itachi always allowed him the day off on this day, saying that his brother should take a rest. Sasuke would never tell him, but he was so very grateful for the break. Even though it had now been three years today, he still wasn't too sure on how to act or what to do with himself. It made him feel pathetic and like a child when he cried, like he was emotionally weak, but if he didn't, Sasuke felt like… like it seemed as though he didn't care.

He'd seen Itachi crying. Not recently. Years ago, just after their deaths.

It had been late one night and he hadn't known that Sasuke was awake, hadn't known that he could hear him trying desperately to stay composed. It had been heartbreaking to hear. And when Sasuke had poked his head around the corner, despite instincts telling him to leave Itachi to grieve in peace, that pain only increased.

His older brother had been on his knees in front of the fireplace, clutching one of the picture frames tightly in his hands, his tears falling, though thankfully not disturbing the picture due to the glass protecting it.

It hadn't taken the older Uchiha long to realise somebody was there, but instead of reacting the way Sasuke had thought he would (wiping away his tears and returning to his blank, usual self), Itachi had instead gestured for him to come closer, not even attempting to hide his tears. That had been when it truly hit him that their parents were not coming back and Sasuke would be lying if he said that it didn't make him cry like a lost little boy.

He dropped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. There were always mixed feelings for him on this day. Part of him wanted to curl up into a ball and never move again, another wanted him to do everything and anything to take his mind off of the agonising pain in his chest, whilst a different part of him, one that felt extremely dark and scary, wanted to destroy everything in his path. Sasuke wanted to find the person who had crashed into his parents' car and rip them to pieces. He wanted to take away that person's family and see _how the fuck they liked it!_

Beneath his head, his clenched fists trembled and his left eye began twitching. Deep breathing.

Lately, his anger was always getting to him, getting the best _of him_. So much so that people had actually started avoiding him. Whatever. Like it mattered to Sasuke whether they stuck around or not. Most of them were imbeciles that he couldn't give two shits about.

A knock on his door momentarily took Sasuke's mind away from his building anger.

"Come in."

Itachi did so silently, glancing down at his younger brother with a more open expression. That wasn't unusual. He always did it around this time of year, or their parents' birthdays, to make Sasuke feel like he could open up to him. When Itachi wasn't wearing his perfect pokerface, it made him seem less intimidating, made him appear more understanding. It would be a pathetic denial if Sasuke said it hadn't worked, because it had, several times. Itachi knew him too well for it not to work.

"I have to go to the office for a few hours." Itachi stated, sounding vaguely reluctant. "If you wish, you can join me."

Join him on a trip to the company's headquarters?

"I'll be fine here."

Previously, growing up, Sasuke had been so thrilled when his father invited him to headquarters and that happiness only grew when he heard the man boasting about him to his employees. Never to Sasuke's face, of course, as Fugaku had never wanted him to grow arrogant and bigheaded, but he'd always catch the conversation by eavesdropping.

Since their deaths, however, headquarters just didn't hold that same thrilling accomplishment like it once had. How Itachi could face it almost every single day was beyond him, as Sasuke could barely even go by it without feeling his heart turn into ice and his stomach drop.

There was a short pause, one where Itachi regarded him silently, before he nodded once and sighed. "I will be back shortly. My phone will be left on, so ring me if there is a problem."

He nodded once, grateful for when his brother finally left.

Christmas was just a few short weeks away. The first Christmas, just weeks after their deaths, had been unbearable. They hadn't celebrated it at all, hadn't even bothered to put up any decorations. There were presents, but neither opened them on Christmas Day. It had been too hard. And that pain only grew when they had to go through their parents' belongings and finally, after years of trying to find it, the brothers found where Mikoto hid their presents.

Sasuke still had the wrapping paper and tag in his drawer. Despite it being trash, he couldn't part with them. The gift was also in there, too. A warm, woolly scarf that she had created herself in his favourite colour. Navy blue. Itachi had a crimson one that he often wore. Sasuke chose to wear it in winter, also.

And thanks to Sakura's mother, Mebuki, the brothers had learned how to keep them soft, how to keep them from eventually falling apart. He'd been reluctant to washing it at first, wanting to keep the scent of his mother's perfume on it, but when it started smelling more like himself than her, he finally agreed. Itachi had waited for that moment and washed their scarves together with the detergent their mother had always used.

Rubbing a hand up and down his face when his phone went off, he released a long breath and reached out for it with the other hand, not surprised in the least that it was Sakura.

' _Picked all your assignments up for you like you asked! Unless I see you today, I'll give them to you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything x'_

What he needed was to be left alone, but at the same time, that sounded so daunting. Did he truly want to be alone? Sasuke wasn't too sure. Part of him was screaming for it, for everybody to just fuck off and leave him be. The other half of him wanted to keep them all close to him, to keep them by his side because if he lost them too, where would he be?

Sitting up, Sasuke glanced over at his window, straightening up so that he could see Itachi's car leaving the driveway and turning right, confirming that he had in fact gone to the company's headquarters. The moment his brother's car was gone, he hopped out of bed and looked to the other side of their home, to where their garage was located.

Currently, there were three cars in there (two, now that Itachi had just left). One was obviously Itachi's. The second had been his mother's. They just couldn't bring themselves to get rid of it, or to drive it themselves (even though Sasuke couldn't at the moment, because he wasn't old enough to drive). It was simply left there under a protective cover.

Their father's had been destroyed in the crash and even if it hadn't been completely destroyed, Sasuke would have been absolutely livid if it had been brought back to them. There was no way the car his parents had died in, was going to be staying in their garage, where they would have to look at it every day. Itachi felt the same way.

The last car… It was his, for when he passed his test. Itachi had been giving him a few lessons, taking him up to an old dirt road where it was safe for him to practise. That way he would be ready for his test. Why not simply drive Itachi's car? The car that was in the garage had been a gift idea from their parents, one they had been talking to Itachi about.

Knowing how Sasuke felt about it, however, Itachi hadn't kept it from him and instead told him about the car idea. He'd agreed to it without hesitation and was genuinely happy that his parents had known him so well as to know what type of car he'd want.

Without Itachi being with him, though, Sasuke was not allowed to drive that car.

But…

Sasuke shoved on his shoes and jogged out of his room and downstairs, pausing for just a moment to grab the keys that were resting in the bowl a few feet away from the front door. He locked it behind him on the way out and quickly made his way to the garage, taking little to no time to climb into his car.

He didn't think about possibly having second thoughts. He didn't think about anything at all except that he _needed_ to get out of there. Starting the car, Sasuke pulled out of the garage and put his foot down on the accelerator, speeding out of the driveway and down the seemingly never–ending road that linked his house to Sakura's, as well as a few others'.

* * *

How long had he been there before she found him? Seven, maybe eight or nine hours?

"We've been looking everywhere for you."

She was irritated, annoyed and the glower on her face was one Sasuke had grown used to seeing nowadays, because lately, Sakura always had something to be angry about. Instead of answering, Sasuke remained laying down on the hood of his car, staring up at the rapidly darkening sky. It was dark enough that he could just about see Sakura's features as she strode up to him, standing in front of the car.

"Do you know how worried everyone is? How worried _Itachi_ is?" Sakura demanded, placing her fists onto her hips.

They'd always been rather close, Itachi and Sakura. Sasuke had never really known what to think about that. It was strange how close they were, because Sakura was _his_ friend, but not long after that thought, Sasuke had seen a picture of them together in Sakura's home. Itachi had been around five at the time, while Sakura was only a few months old. Sasuke was also in the picture, the two babies being held by Itachi, who was smiling softly at them. It was like he considered them both to be his siblings, despite the fact Sakura came from different parents.

Sighing with defeat and exhaustion, for she knew she wouldn't get an answer, Sakura tapped his leg. "Mind if I join you?"

Silently, Sasuke shook his head. All previous anger had left him and now… Now that feeling of not wanting to be alone had returned. And as Sakura eased back onto his car, laying down beside him, he found that that awful feeling of loneliness eased up when he was around her. It always had.

"He's going to kick your ass when you get home, you know." Sakura told him quietly, taking Sasuke's hand without permission and holding it gently. "Especially since you're driving the car."

Sasuke was too stunned to say much, simply staring at their joined hands as Sakura raised them up to the dark sky, spreading out her fingers. And it was like he was her shadow, because slowly, he was doing the same thing, not noticing her gentle smile as he allowed her to manipulate his hand, making it move in almost the same way as hers. His hand was much larger than hers, covering it completely when she pressed her fingers to his, comparing the sizes.

It was when Sakura linked their fingers together that she spoke again, her voice much softer. "How long have you been out here?"

"…A few hours."

"Sasuke–kun…" She sighed, closing her eyes. "Please don't be so reckless. We're in the middle of winter now and the temperature drops so low at night. You're not even wearing a jacket!"

Instead of replying, he remained silent, still watching their hands even as Sakura lowered them until they were resting on her stomach. They raised ever so slightly when she breathed in and lowered once more when she breathed out, the movement seeming to keep him in some sort of a trance. Sasuke couldn't understand why he couldn't take his eyes off their hands being linked the way they were. Sakura had held his hand several times when they were kids.

Maybe it was because, back then, he'd only seen her as an annoyance? Sure, Sakura could still be annoying now if she wanted to be (sometimes she didn't even have to try), but… But something was different now and had been for quite a while. That attraction he had felt for her almost a year ago now… It was stronger. Sasuke had believed it would only last for a short while, had believed that it would probably just be a stupid, childish crush – his first, in fact.

How wrong he was.

She just wouldn't leave his mind and on a day that he usually preferred to spend alone unless he was with Itachi or Shisui, Sasuke found himself feeling so very grateful for her presence. Not even Naruto was able to get through to him at this time of year. Only Itachi or Shisui could do so. And now, it seemed like Sakura could, too. When the hell had that happened?

"Do you want to head back?" Sakura asked quietly. "Or for me to leave you alone?"

"No." Sasuke replied without hesitation, the words leaving his lips before he even realised what he was saying. "Stay with me."

* * *

Sakura had been right.

After driving her home and returning to his own, it was obvious that Itachi was angry.

Sasuke had just about entered the house when a hand seemed to come out of nowhere, his back slamming against the door and shutting it with a bang. The force was harsh enough to smack the breath out of him, leaving him trying to hide the fact that he was breathless.

"I told you not to drive your car unless I am with you."

He stayed silent, staring up into the angry, dark eyes of his brother as he glared back down at him. Beneath the anger, however, there was pain, worry and relief. Usually, Itachi was not one to act out in anger, was not one to physically assault another person or cause harm, but everybody had their limits and it seemed Sasuke had pushed him close to those limits today with his disappearing act.

It… comforted him, in a strange way, to know that Itachi cared so much.

Itachi regarded him for a moment, watching his brother before he sighed and released him. "I cannot lose you too, Sasuke. Please don't act so recklessly."

His eyes lowered at the look in Itachi's eyes, not used to seeing him so revealing with his emotions. "I'm sorry, nii–san."

"Why did you do it?"

"I…" Sasuke frowned. "I don't know."

"Did Sakura find you?" He nodded, earning him a sigh. "I knew she would be able to talk some sense into you. Come, Sasuke. You're freezing. There's some tea on the table that I have just made."

He followed without a word, wondering what Itachi meant by saying he knew Sakura would be able to talk sense into him.

* * *

 **A/N - This one is for ukatoemina** **. You have to be one of my most loyal readers/reviewers and I really hope your day gets better for you! Just keep your head high and read or think about plenty of ItaSaku or SasuSaku. It will cheer you up, I promise ;-)**

 **I'll try and update _Saviour_ as soon as possible, but I'm still in the middle of writing the chapter. Hopefully, it'll be done soon!**


	3. If Not Now, When?

**Chapter 3 – If Not Now, When?**

It was awkward and uncomfortable.

And usually, Uchiha Sasuke was not one to feel such a way.

However, sitting opposite Naruto and Sakura was making his skin crawl with discomfort. That was how obvious and potent _their_ discomfort was. It annoyed Sasuke, too. Why the hell couldn't they just get over it and let the fact they'd had sex go? Every time their eyes met–

No, their eyes didn't even meet. Sakura made sure of that. It was ridiculous! She looked everyone except Naruto in the eye.

It was early January and after the depressing holidays, which were spent with his brother and cousin at the latter's place, Sasuke had been hoping to come back to some normalcy. Even school was better than how morbid Christmas had become since his parents' deaths. But what did he get? His two best friends still squirming over their quickie.

Oh, Naruto had gone into very fine detail about that night he spent with Sakura. No amount of threatening would shut the blond up.

" _It had started slowly at first_ ," he'd told him, " _gently. But then it was like… Like this feeling in my stomach took over. I've never felt anything like it! She's amazing, Sasuke._ "

That was when Sasuke snarled at him to shut up, had growled out that he didn't care. Naruto either couldn't hear him due to being lost in his own little world, or cared little about the way he was unknowingly making his best friend uncomfortable. And then, after going into a disgusting amount of detail, after almost causing Sasuke to snap with that burning rage within himself, Naruto had murmured quietly, " _And that's what I don't get. She seemed so into it, so_ there _. I just… I thought she felt it too, you know? Thought she loved me back._ "

So, long story short, Naruto still wasn't over Sakura.

Which was the reasoning behind Sasuke's ever–foul mood.

He couldn't help it. It seriously couldn't be helped. Every lingering look Naruto sent Sakura, even the shortest of glances, had him burning with anger. And don't even get Sasuke started on the other guys who lusted after her.

Before she slept with Naruto, Sakura hadn't been popular in the least. Her best friend Yamanaka Ino was, but not Sakura. She preferred keeping to herself, didn't want anybody knowing what was going on with her or what she was doing. Now? Now it was like she took a huge leap to the other side.

Now everybody knew exactly what she was doing, when she was doing it and how. Instead of wearing her uniform the way she usually did, respectfully did, Sakura had unbuttoned the top three buttons, revealing a large amount of cleavage and had her tie so low down that there was no point in even wearing it. Then came the skirt. He was surprised she didn't flash everybody with every move she made. He just hoped she wouldn't bend over any time soon.

"Sakura–chan?"

She didn't look up at him, instead tapping away at her phone. "Yeah?"

Naruto tried not to let it show how much her lack of acknowledgement bothered him, but Sasuke could tell a mile away that it did. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight?" She sighed like it was a huge bother. "I'm going out with Ino."

Out? Sasuke's eyes narrowed, trying his hardest to ignore the way Naruto looked down at the ground, looking so very much like a kicked puppy. "Where?"

There was a pause and his eyes only narrowed further when Sasuke saw a small smirk pulling at Sakura's lips. "There's a new club opening tonight–"

"You're not even sixteen." He cut her off easily. "There's no way you'll get in."

"Are you saying I don't look like a woman?"

No, not at all. "Yeah. You look like a kid."

She flinched. Actually flinched. And at the pain that flashed in her eyes, Sasuke instantly regretted his words.

"Well," Sakura forced out, grabbing her bag and standing, "we'll just see tonight, won't we?" While walking away, she snapped at him over her shoulder, "I'll bet other guys won't think I'm _just a kid_."

The anger returned tenfold.

It took everything to stay seated.

"What the hell, Sasuke?" Naruto spat, visibly trembling with anger. "Why did you say that, huh? Can't you see she's upset?"

Sasuke couldn't say a word. His anger silenced him. Made him immobile.

 _Other guys won't think I'm just a kid_.

What the fuck did she mean by that?

* * *

"I've done it."

How long had he been sat there brooding for? Scowling to himself for getting lost in his angry thoughts, Sasuke looked up at the blond who sat down beside him. When had Naruto left him? How long was he gone for?

"Done what?" he grunted.

"Called her." When Sasuke merely stared at him, Naruto sighed. "Mebuki."

What–

No.

He didn't.

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction when all Naruto did was stare back at him with a tired expression, his brows furrowed.

He did.

"Sakura is going to beat the shit out of you."

The smile on his lips was painful. "Maybe she'll finally look at me."

"Naruto–"

"I screwed up. I know." He rolled his eyes and fell back onto the grass, glaring up at the grey sky. "But even though I screwed up, I'm not letting Sakura–chan screw up, too. What if something happened to her while she's out with Ino at some strange club?" Naruto rubbed his face, hiding his grimace. "If she's going out to clubs, we should go with her. To protect her. You always hear stuff about girls getting that drug that makes them blackout or whatever… I just… I don't want to hear that something happened, you know?"

This time, it was Sasuke who rolled his eyes. He always knew that Naruto was the dramatic type, whether it was his loud, attention demanding attitude, or his ability to make things appear worse than they actually were. "You're thinking too much into it."

"Am I?" Naruto fired back and sat up, eyes narrowing on the Uchiha. "Because to me, it looked like you were just as worried about Sakura–chan going out than I was." When nothing was said in reply, when all Sasuke did was look at him, blue eyes narrowed further. "Just admit that you care about her, you bastard! It doesn't make you some sentimental, emotional idiot."

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, barely holding back the urge to slam his fist into Naruto's face.

The blond shook his head angrily. "I've never understood you when it comes to her, you know. Sakura–chan's always loved you and always does things to show you her love yet you…" He shook his head again. "You treat her like shit most of the time!"

Clenched fists tightened.

"Sakura–chan deserves so much better–"

"Like who, huh?" Sasuke finally snapped, unable to stay silent any longer. "She deserves so much better as in you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. "That's not what I–"

"You already had your chance." he spat, standing up and swiftly picking up his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder. "And clearly you failed, _dobe_."

He left with those final words, his unyielding hold on the strap of his backpack causing his knuckles to turn white and his hand to tremble.

* * *

He knew exactly when Mebuki confronted Sakura. How?

Because Sakura immediately stormed over to his place, barging her way into the home (vaguely muttering a greeting to a bemused Itachi sitting in the living room) and slamming open Sasuke's bedroom door, leaving him to stare at her with an unimpressed expression.

"Don't you know how to knock?"

"Don't you know how to keep your damned mouth shut?"

Sasuke raised a single, dark eyebrow. This was new. Sakura had _never_ raised her voice to him before. Well, no, she'd raised her voice, but had never sounded so angry with him before. Slowly, he sat up, watching her every move with a new sort of fascination. He liked this. That warm feeling in his stomach he'd been having the past year was now a burning sensation. This new Sakura excited him. No, not the 'new Sakura', but her anger. He liked it. Previously, she followed him like a lost puppy.

There was no denying that this sudden change intrigued him.

Right at that moment in time, Sasuke was resting after a rigorous and painful workout session. His entire body felt like it was on fire! However, he'd had so much anger building up within him that he had to find a way to let it out, because it literally felt like he had been about to explode. In a way, the anger he'd felt reminded Sasuke of a kettle that was placed on a stove, and how that kettle would whistle unbearably loud when the water was boiled.

And while he was sweaty and aching, Sakura stood in his doorway in a surprising outfit. He didn't know that she owned such clothes. They almost reminded him of Yamanaka Ino, Sakura's best friend.

The high waisted shorts barely covered anything, showing at least an inch of her ass and the crop top that went with them was just… In his opinion, way too much. It looked more like stripper's clothing. Again, the outfit reminded him of Yamanaka Ino and he didn't like it at all. While he enjoyed Sakura's anger being directed at him, he didn't like the way she was dressing (although wouldn't admit that he enjoyed seeing so much of her skin on show).

"My mom just came home early." Sakura snarled, fists clenched and trembling. "She told me that one of my 'friends' called her not too long ago, telling her that I was planning to go out clubbing tonight. I–"

"Immediately thought I was the one who ratted you out."

"Weren't you?" she demanded, though didn't even give Sasuke the chance to defend himself. "You seemed quite pissed off when I mentioned other guys, so maybe you got jealous."

Jealous? Was that what that burning anger he always felt was?

Instead of asking such things, Sasuke instead barked out a laugh, surprising Sakura long enough for him to speak. "You're delusional, Sakura. Go home." He paused, looking her up and down. "And put some clothes on while you're at it."

It amused him greatly when she flushed red with anger.

But what she said next ripped the smirk right off his face.

"Why? Having a hard time keeping your mind off inappropriate things?" It was Sakura's turn to smirk when she saw the effect her words had on Sasuke, saw his expression empty and his eyes become guarded. "Sasuke–kun," It annoyed him when her smirk widened, when she sauntered over to his bed in such a way that it made him feel like her prey, "have you been having dirty thoughts about me?"

The back of his neck burned. As did the tips of his ears.

"It'll happen eventually." she told him with a shrug, her predator act slipping away.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What makes you so sure?"

Once more, Sakura walked forward with an obvious sway in her hips, her heels clicking loudly against the wooden flooring. Unlike before, however, there was no smirk on her lips. Not until she leaned over until her face was a mere inch from his. Having her so close to him was intoxicating, he decided after a moment, eyes wandering down the length of her throat and immediately snapping back to her eyes when Sasuke saw he had a very generous view of her cleavage. This time, his cheeks burned and he swallowed hard.

"What makes me so sure," she purred, "is the fact you have an erection."

Wide, horrified eyes quickly shot to his crotch and not even a second later, Sasuke grabbed the pillow he had been reclined on, covering himself with a growl. "Get out, Sakura."

She laughed freely, cheerily as she stood up straight once more, hands falling to her hips as she strutted away. "It's only a matter of time, Sasuke–kun." There was a pause as she grabbed the robe on the back of his door. "I'll be staying here for a few hours until my mom's calmed down. Hope you don't mind if I borrow this."

Without waiting for his reply, Sakura left his room, wrapping the thick, black robe around herself as she did so.

That was humiliating! Sasuke growled to himself, throwing his pillow down onto the bed and glaring at his crotch once more. A fucking erection. Perfect. And now, after an entire year of somewhat successfully avoiding _that_ place with Sakura, she now knew he found her attractive. Or at least, a part of him did.

Damn it!

* * *

Walking into the living room and seeing Sakura curled up against Itachi's side had him rolling his eyes. She always seemed so innocent in his older brother's eyes, always seemed so sweet and loving. If only her dear Itachi saw what she'd been getting up to lately, then she wouldn't be treated like she was royalty.

Well, since she had humiliated him…

"Are you not going out tonight, then, Sakura?" Sasuke muttered, sitting down on the opposite sofa and only sparing the television a glance to see what was on. It was just some boring documentary about that band she and Itachi liked. "You said it was a new club, right?" Her eyes snapped to his, narrowing dangerously and Sasuke bit back his smirk. She knew what he was up to, it seemed. Good. "It would be a waste to not go out now, especially after getting all dressed up."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, looking down at the young girl curled up against him. "A club?"

It amused Sasuke greatly when her cheeks turned pink with her blush. "Oh, it's nothing important. I decided at the last minute that it's not really my scene." Her eyes then moved back to Sasuke and he unnoticeably swallowed hard at the fiery look in them. "Fix your problem, Sasuke–kun? Or would you like me to lend a hand later on?"

Oh that was low.

He shook his head, leaning back. "It's fine, now. Thinking of you helped. Made it go away."

The last sentence had been added swiftly, yet quickly, though not quickly enough to seem defensive. Still, Sasuke noticed the narrowing of Itachi's eyes, noticed how his brother was looking between the two of them. That wasn't surprising. Itachi disliked secrecy and he absolutely loathed being treated like an idiot.

When Sakura bit her lip, suddenly looking anywhere but at the two men, Itachi's eyes narrowed further.

"What problem, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's expression emptied. Damn it. He'd done it again, hadn't he? Gone too far with their banter. _Again_. And now Sakura was upset. And when Sakura was upset, Itachi got protective because even though he wasn't biologically her older brother, he still grew up with her. He had been there every day of her life, just like he had Sasuke's. However, because she was Sakura, because she was like his younger sister, Itachi could be so very protective of her.

He'd have to tread carefully now.

"Nothing important."

"It doesn't seem that way."

"Nii–san, it's–"

"No, it's not 'nothing'." Sakura murmured, meeting Sasuke's eyes and narrowing her eyes dangerously. "His problem was that he had–"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Surely she wouldn't? Just in case, he found himself cutting her off. "Sakura. Enough."

It took him a few moments, but when Sasuke finally noticed something, he felt a part of himself aching in response.

There were tears in Sakura's eyes.

Had she really been that upset by what he'd said? It had been a bit of teasing!

The phone ringing cut through the awkward pause, had Itachi's attention drifting away from them momentarily. Sasuke watched as his brother sighed and gently pulled away from Sakura, standing and leaving the living room to go out into the hall. And once he had, once Sasuke heard the phone being picked up and heard his brother's quiet voice, he felt torn about what to do.

"Why?"

His eyes reluctantly met Sakura's.

It seemed she wasn't wearing that waterproof makeup she'd once been talking about, because when a single tear slipped down her cheek, it was black.

"Why am I never good enough for you?"

Sasuke had no idea what to say. What was there to say in response to that? For the past year, he'd been pushing her away, had been ignoring it. It had been confusing as hell having his anger building and building – and it only continued to build whenever he saw her talking to some other guy. The anger towards her had started when he heard of her sleeping with Naruto.

"Sakura–"

"I slept with Naruto…" she whispered. "I… I was lonely. Just turned fifteen and already, I was lonely. It freaked me out. Made me act without thinking. I was planning…" A painful smile was directed at him. "I was saving myself for _you_. And I'm… I'm sorry for not–"

Like earlier, Sasuke cut her off, not wanting to hear any more. Sakura sounded like she was in agony on the inside and it made _him_ hurt. He didn't like it. He didn't like how not only his stomach, but also his chest, was reacting to her pain. So, Sasuke did something that surprised the both of them. He got up (effectively cutting her off) and made his way over to her, silently reaching out for her hand just like she had for him only a month ago.

It seemed to cheer her up, if only slightly, because Sakura leaned against him with a small smile. "I'm sorry–"

"Stop saying you're sorry." Sasuke paused for a moment, trying to soften his tone. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I… overreacted."

"Overreacted?"

"…Yeah."

She pulled away, making him frown. What had he said this time?

"Stop sending me mixed signals, Sasuke–kun. You either want me, or you don't." He watched her as she watched him, her eyes narrowing before they softened. "Do you want me?"

Sasuke couldn't help but avert his eyes. It wasn't every day that he backed down, or that somebody else seemed too intense for him (unless it was Itachi or sometimes Shisui) but at that moment in time, Sakura's eyes were so focused, so intense, that it made him feel like he was on the edge of a cliff. If he said the wrong thing, she would push him off. If he said the right thing, she would pull him to safety.

Boldly, Sakura cupped his cheek and turned his head in her direction, making their eyes meet again.

"Sasuke?"

Fortunately for him, that was the moment Itachi decided to return to them and Sakura quickly let go of him as soon as the door opened.

"That was your mother, Sakura." Itachi told her, either not noticing or not commenting on the fact Sasuke had moved places and her face was now tear stained. It was probably the latter. "She wanted to know where you were, and to make sure you hadn't gone out clubbing with older men."

Sakura deadpanned at the disapproving look Itachi was giving her.

"Explain." was all the older Uchiha said a moment later, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

She gulped and paled.

Sasuke smirked, trying to ignore the question she had asked him.


	4. How Is This Going To Work?

**Chapter 4 – How Is This Going To Work?**

She kept sending him discreet glances.

It had been two months since that night. Sasuke did what he could to avoid Haruno Sakura, but given that they got the same bus and had most of the same classes, it was kind of difficult to do. There wasn't only that, however. Since her parents were always out, always leaving her alone, she had taken to coming over to his place more and more often. Not always to see _him_ , as most of the time, Sakura would be content with simply sitting in Itachi's presence. However, the other times…

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke tried his best to stay calm.

His anger had subsided quite a bit over the past two months. Why? Because Sakura seemed to have realised she was pushing too hard. She no longer talked about other guys while with him and she didn't openly flirt either.

But why?

Why did she keep telling him that 'it' would happen eventually? What even was 'it'? A relationship? Having sex? Sasuke wasn't even sure if he wanted a relationship with Sakura and considering her past with Naruto, he knew it wouldn't be simple, either. If anything happened between them, it could cause problems with their friendship.

Sure, part of Sasuke wanted to find out what 'it' was, but he refused to lose a friend because of a relationship.

Just taking a look at Naruto recently made it ridiculously obvious that he was not yet over Sakura. He was like an abandoned puppy with the way he kept staring after her, with the way he was trying to get her attention and _keep it_. Nothing was working though and even Sasuke could feel himself growing frustrated _for_ Naruto!

Sakura was lonely. That was why she had slept with Naruto. As for the blond, he slept with her because he _loved_ her. Usually, when things such as that happened, it was always the other way around – well, the girls would be the ones in love and the guys would be the ones who used the other person.

No, Sasuke was not saying that Sakura used Naruto for sex, but the more he thought about it, the more he believed it could be a slight possibility. If Naruto hadn't been there that night, it probably never would've happened, right? Say it was himself in Naruto's place or (even though the mere thought disgusted him) Itachi! Would she have made a move on them?

Considering Itachi saw Sakura as his younger sister, he would have obviously rejected her – or so Sasuke hoped he would, more than anything. Had it been himself, though…

He was fifteen, for goodness sake! Of course he was curious.

People made sex seem so great, like it was something everybody should be doing or being a part of. Everywhere Sasuke looked, sex was somehow there. Movies, television shows, music, billboards, posters, books or even just taking a walk in the park! Was it really that good?

He wanted to find out. There was no use in denying it, but… With Sakura? Could he really do that? Being with Sakura in such a way would… It would no doubt bring them impossibly closer. Was that okay? Did Sasuke want that?

They were close anyway. They'd grown up together! And, if Sasuke really thought about it, then he knew that Sakura had actually known Itachi longer than he had, too. She'd known his parents longer than he had. She–

What the hell was he even thinking?

Barely repressing a sigh, Sasuke glanced over in Sakura's direction, watching as she continued to keep her head in her arms on the desk.

It was Monday morning, so Sasuke could understand why she was in a bad mood and possibly still exhausted, but it was so unlike Sakura to be rude like that. Previously in lessons she would be sitting up straight, eager to learn whatever the teachers had to teach. She was always first to put her hand up. She was a bright girl, one who obviously had a bright future ahead of her.

Why was she acting like this?

There wasn't only that, either.

"Sakura, please sit up."

His eyes narrowed.

"Go away."

Everybody turned to face her, even the guy who was sat by her side. He never usually sat with anyone and always chose to keep to himself. Sabaku Gaara, Sasuke believed his name to be. Well, if the rumours about him were true, then that was his name. However, because there was a seating plan this year, he'd had no choice but to sit next to her. He felt sorry for Gaara, in a way. Lately Sakura always seemed to be in a bad mood. Even he didn't want to sit next to her.

"Sakura–"

She groaned into her desk and turned her head to the side. "Your voice is so irritating."

And much to his surprise, the guy by her side scoffed, looking down at her in disgust. "You're hungover."

People began murmuring amongst one another and Sasuke sat up straighter when Sakura did, narrowing his eyes on her. What was going on? Was Sakura really hungover? When the hell did she start drinking? Was it with Ino? He'd always known the blonde was a bad influence on her and–

"It's none of your damn business."

Wait… She wasn't seriously mouthing off to Sabaku Gaara, was she? Hadn't she heard the fucking rumours about that guy? He was supposed to be a psychopath!

He merely settled her with the same disgusted look. "It's my business when you sit next to me reeking of a brothel. It's sickening."

Sakura was suddenly on her feet, with Gaara only a second behind her when she lifted her clenching fist.

"Say that one more fucking time, you loser!" she snarled, utterly stunning the class – Sasuke included. His heart actually palpitated with fear for her. "You're nothing but a nobody, so don't look down your fucking nose at me!"

Sasuke was the next to stand up, realising that the teacher was quickly losing control of the situation and before Sabaku could even think of a retort, before he could react to the threat, he was moving forward and grabbing Sakura's raised fist, lowering it and yanking her closer to him.

"Stop making a fool of yourself, Sakura." His voice was low and harsh. It was serious. "I don't know what the hell is up with you lately, but sort yourself out."

Something flashed in her eyes. Something dark and negative and it sent shivers of unease up Sasuke's spine. "Let go of me."

He did, but not before standing between her and Sabaku. The look in Gaara's eyes… It put him on edge. It looked like he wanted to hurt Sakura. "Don't let unimportant comments like that bother you and don't sink to his level." Sasuke muttered. "You're better than that."

She nodded, swallowing hard and then looking to the teacher. "Sensei, I'm sorry for–"

"Please leave my classroom, Sakura." The teacher was shook up, not meeting Sakura's eye.

And Sasuke could feel Sakura's disbelief, for even he couldn't help but stare at the teacher in shock.

"But what about my–"

She shook her head. "Please leave."

So, having no other choice, Sakura wordlessly grabbed her belongings, frowning to herself the entire time and looking as though she was about to burst into tears at any moment. By her side, Sabaku Gaara sat back down, his knee bouncing with what was most likely restless anger.

It was without thinking that Sasuke did the same, shoving his things into his backpack and following Sakura out of the class, ignoring the teacher when she called after him.

Something was up with her. Something couldn't be right. For Sakura to snap like that not only at a fellow classmate, but also a teacher…

Once they were in the empty corridor, he tugged on her hand, pulling her to a stop.

"Sasuke–kun, I–"

And then he surprised her by yanking her against him, embracing her.

Sakura had hugged him many times before, but he'd never returned them. What made him reach out to her? What made him want to hold her? To comfort her? Sasuke had no idea. However, he could remember his mother holding him whenever he needed comforting and at that moment, it was so clear that Sakura needed comforting.

She did. In his arms, she shook, releasing silent tears and holding Sasuke just as tightly. "I'm s–so sorry!" Sakura gasped into his chest. "I don't why I… I don't…"

Damn it. He was useless at comforting others. "Don't worry about it."

There was no reply.

Was that the right thing to say? Should he try and get her to talk about it? But what if he did and he found there was nothing he could do to help? Wasn't it better to be blissfully ignorant than to realise he was completely useless?

"…I guess you're r–right."

Now what? Did he let go of her? It seemed impossible to do so considering the fact that Sakura was clinging to him tightly. So what? Did he continue to hold her? To let her hold him? But what if someone saw them, or worse, Naruto saw them? His leaving class with her was already suspicious. News would travel fast and it was only a matter of time before the blond heard about it.

Awkwardly, Sasuke lowered his arms and tried to step back, only to have Sakura grip a tighter hold of him, shuddering softly.

"Don't let go yet." she whispered. "Please."

The sound of her voice made him feel sick with himself. How the hell could he tell her not to worry about it? How the hell could he even begin to think that they could forget what had just happened? Something serious was up with Haruno Sakura and it _terrified him_.

In their group of friends, Sakura was the strong one. She was the one who was always smiling and happy. She was the one who was there, without hesitation, to support her friends or stand up for them. If something was wrong with Sakura, what would happen to them all? What would happen to _him?_

She was the one who helped him after losing his parents. She was the most patient one of all his friends. And lately, not including Shisui and Itachi, Sakura was the only one he'd been able to open up to or lower his guards around. Nothing could happen to her. If it did, then that meant there was no stability. There was no safety net to catch him if he stumbled or fell.

But how did Sasuke go about fixing what was wrong with her? Like he'd just proved, he was useless at comforting others and the thought of such an emotional conversation, with Sakura especially, put him on edge.

Unless…

Despite her struggle, Sasuke managed to pull away, though snatched her hand just as she was about to grab him. Without a word he dragged her out of the school building, out of the school grounds and onto the street. Consequences be damned.

Half an hour later and they were on the bus, almost home. She was anxious, Sasuke could tell that a mile away but he still refused to say anything. What he was doing was going to cause a lot of trouble, mostly for himself, but for her…

He'd do it.

"Sasuke…"

He continued to stare ahead.

"Please tell me where we're going."

Silence.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Finally, Sasuke looked at her, though not willingly. Sakura had grabbed his face and harshly turned it in her direction, allowing her to settle a disapproving, angry glare on him. "Tell me where the hell we're going and why!"

There was that anger again. The anger that excited him and briefly, a thought of abandoning his current plan flitted through his mind. Itachi wouldn't be home and it would be so easy to coax her up into his bedroom, to finally allow 'it' to happen. They were already skipping school (something he had _never_ done before) and they were already halfway home.

His jaw clenched.

No.

That wasn't what he wanted to do. Having sex with Sakura wasn't going to be like that. It wasn't going to happen at all.

"Sasuke!"

"Shut up!" he spat through clenched teeth, effectively shutting her up.

Now, what had he been planning, again? Oh yeah, to take her somewhere where she would be able to get a hold of herself.

And once they arrived at his home, as he opened a certain door, he could _feel_ Sakura's disbelief.

"We can't–"

"What Itachi doesn't know won't hurt him."

It was the truth. Sasuke had every intention of being home before Itachi returned, which wasn't until around five in the afternoon. Given the fact that it had only just turned eleven, they had plenty of time!

"Sasuke…" Sakura was frowning at him, gesturing to the object before them tiredly. "You know how Itachi feels about this. If he ever found out… Could you imagine how much it would upset him?"

This time, he was the one who frowned. Was Sakura rejecting his offer? Was she rejecting him? He was trying to help her, to make her feel better just as she had for him. "But you're upset now."

Something softened in her eyes, something that Sasuke couldn't explain. "Am I really worth upsetting your brother?"

His eyes lowered to the ground and his eyebrows knitted together.

Was she worth going against Itachi's orders?

Just as Sakura took his silence as a negative response, Sasuke caught her wrist. "Get in the car, Sakura."

Because yes.

Yes, she was worth it.

* * *

It was cold, but it didn't bother them all that much due to the heavy jackets and the fleecy blanket Sasuke had brought along.

Unfortunately, that meant having to lay quite close to Sakura on the hood of his car and it seemed she was taking full advantage of it.

How long had it been since they were last here? Since Sakura was the one comforting him? It had been on the anniversary of his parents' death. The idea of bringing Sakura here, where he could comfort her this time, had flashed through his mind the second he saw her tears.

"Thank you, Sasuke." murmured Sakura quietly as she once more snuggled up to his side.

Was she purposely ignoring the tension in his body? Was she purposely ignoring the fact that Sasuke was trying to put distance between them? Couldn't Sakura feel that strange tension between _them?_ Or was she the reason behind it? Whatever the answers were to those questions…

Sasuke swallowed hard, trying to ignore the burning feeling in his gut, trying to ignore how soft she felt pressing against him like she currently was. Like before, they were laying on the hood of his car, but this time, they were sharing a fleecy blanket, one that caused them to lay closer together since they both wanted to stay warm. Sasuke hadn't thought that part through.

Damn it…

"You need to loosen up if you want to warm up." Sakura told him, resting her head on his shoulder.

His breath caught in his throat when he felt _hers_ against his neck. The sensation… It made him shiver ever so slightly. Why was his neck suddenly so sensitive? Why–

And then Sakura was leaning up on one elbow, smiling down at him teasingly. "Do you need help relaxing, Sasuke–kun?"

Oh, shit…

Sasuke tried to fight it, tried to ignore it. A second later, however, and his eyes were feeling heavy and looking to her lips, watching intensely as Sakura's tongue slipped out and wet them.

What was she doing to him?

It was that look again. The one that _screamed_ at him how much she wanted him and _fuck_ …

He could no longer lie to himself about wanting her, too. Just a simple gesture, just something as simple as laying together…

It eroded his self control.

As always, Sakura made him feel like there was nothing chaining him down. She made him feel free. There was no anger. No grief. No pain or sorrow.

There was just them.

And when she leaned down ever so slightly, stopping just an inch away from his lips and waiting for his reaction, Sasuke watched as her eyes looked between his and his lips.

He closed the distance, shutting his eyes at the feeling of her lips on his.

The kiss was nothing like how he expected. In his mind, for so long now, Sasuke had been expecting the kiss to be hungry and demanding. He'd been fantasizing about them ripping each other's clothes off and getting straight to it. But this… It was gentle. Sweet, even. And the longer the kiss went on, the more relaxed he started to feel, allowing Sakura to melt into his side when she could feel he was no longer tense.

But…

When they parted for air, Sasuke's eyes remained closed and he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Sasuke–"

"How is this going to work?" he questioned softly. "Naruto… He's still in love with you, Sakura. He's still hurting because of what happened."

At times, Sasuke knew he could be the most selfish person to ever exist. And at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to have Sakura all to himself. No more Naruto pining after her like a dog in heat or a puppy who was lost. No more Ino poisoning Sakura's mind, talking her into going out and getting drunk at strange parties. No more Itachi being the one to comfort her and look after her.

His.

He wanted Sakura to be only his.

But… That wasn't going to happen and Sasuke knew that.

They couldn't hurt Naruto. He was their friend. Aside from his family and Sakura, he was the only person Sasuke felt close to and he didn't want to destroy that friendship because of _lust._

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw that Sakura was smiling at him. It was quite a sad smile, he realised after a few moments, but he couldn't understand why.

"We… can keep it a secret, if that makes you feel more comfortable."

A secret. Something that only the two of them knew about. It would be _theirs_ and nobody else's. She would be his.

Sasuke nodded in agreement without another thought.

* * *

 **A/N - Okay, so I hope you all catch onto what's happening and can read between the lines or whatever the expression is! Do you think Sasuke's reading Sakura correctly? Or do you think he's thinking only of himself? HMMMM...**

 **Oh, as for the review about them only being fifteen... I completely agree. However, in our generation, apparently it's completely normal for it to happen. Just the other week, I heard about a thirteen year old girl getting pregnant and before then, an eleven year old having sex. It's disgusting! They probably have no idea what they're doing and are only doing it because of the things they've seen. Either their parents going at it, or something on the television... Everything nowadays has something to do with sex. Even perfume adverts!**

 **Oooh Gaara made an appearance ;-) Does it explain why he disliked her so much in the beginning of They Never Knew? Hahaha!**

 **I hope you're all having a great day!**


	5. How Could I Forget?

**Chapter 5 – How Could I Forget?**

With it being just the two of them, there was no drama.

There was none of that childishness or pathetic behaviour that he often saw in other couples. Once or twice (more like ten times), Sasuke had witnessed a couple getting into an argument about one thing or another and it really pissed him off. He didn't want to hear about their problems, especially when they were tiny in comparison to other problems people were facing.

That was why he liked being with Sakura. She understood that about him. She knew how much it angered him, so would never try anything like that.

In all honesty, Sakura didn't have to do anything to gain his attention.

And Sasuke knew that he could trust her feelings for him because they had never changed. They'd known each other since mere days after his birth, even though they obviously couldn't remember. In all that time, through all the ups and downs and everything else life had thrown at him, not once had Sakura's feelings ever wavered for him.

Aside from Itachi and maybe Naruto and Shisui, Sakura was one of few he could trust.

Handing out his trust wasn't easy for him. Actually, it was damn near impossible and only became more so after the death of his parents.

It was… nice that he didn't have to worry about much. Sakura would never hurt him or betray him. Her feelings weren't going to change any time soon and, if Sasuke had his way, they never would.

His mother had often joked about how he and Sakura could be like an old married couple at times. She was always saying that she wouldn't be surprised if he one day approached her with the news of their engagement. Perhaps it was a little too much for a ten year old boy, but his mother had always been an intense woman.

However, now that Sasuke had grown and matured… He could see it, too. There were so many things about Sakura that he'd never noticed before. Her beauty, for one. Sure, he'd always known she could be attractive if she put the effort into her appearance, but now it was like Sakura didn't even have to try.

There was also her intelligence. One thing Sasuke absolutely despised was not being able to have an intelligent conversation with someone – he grew tired of them after mere seconds. With Sakura, though, he could have that conversation. She knew what she was talking about and had even managed to outsmart him on several occasions! No other girl, besides his mother, had been able to do that. It was so refreshing.

A knock on his bedroom door gained his attention, but because he knew who it was already, he simply muttered, "Come in" instead of getting up to properly greet them.

"Sakura is downstairs," Itachi informed him as he opened the door. "She has a surprise for us both."

A surprise? And when the hell had Sakura arrived? They'd made plans, of course, but usually she would text him before turning up. What happened?

Forgetting about his textbooks, Sasuke got up from his desk and followed Itachi out of the bedroom. Working hard and making sure he passed every single subject at school was incredibly important to him, because he knew it was what his father would have wanted. Sasuke didn't want to disappoint him in any way, shape or form. Failing a single lesson, exam or assignment would mean he had disappointed him.

As expected of Sakura, she was lounging around on the sofa, flicking through the channels on the television until he made his presence known. Well, more like Itachi did as he took the remote from her hand and switched off the television, but whatever.

"Are you going to fill us in now, Sakura?" questioned Itachi with a raised brow. "You asked me to find Sasuke, as there is something you must show us."

Sasuke frowned.

Green eyes brightened as Sakura shot up from the sofa and grabbed one of Itachi's hands, reaching for his own a second later. He didn't make a fuss of it. Her hand felt warm and soft and so very small compared to his own.

"Okay, so I know it's a week before my birthday and all-"

Wait, what?

He hid his look of shock as Sakura pulled him and Itachi out of their home and onto the drive. Sakura's birthday was in less than a week and he had forgotten. How could that have happened? He never forgot anything like that! And this year Sakura was going to be turning sixteen years old, meaning she would have been nagging on and on about her birthday and how she was-

A bright red car stood out sharply on his driveway and Sasuke felt his breath leave him.

Already?

"You shouldn't be driving this yet, Sakura."

She grinned and released Sasuke, wrapping her small arms around Itachi's waist and pressing the side of her face to his chest. "Come on, Itachi!" Sakura whined playfully. "Don't suck the fun out of this."

It was a decent car for a girl – for Sakura, should he say. Leaving the two behind, Sasuke walked up to the car and inspected it closely, even going as far as to opening the door and sitting inside to see how it appealed to him. It was okay. His own car was much, much better, but he wouldn't say that to her since the car was clearly a precious gift to her.

However, Itachi was right. Sakura shouldn't be driving until _after_ she had passed her driving test – something she couldn't take until she was sixteen. Why her parents had given her the car early, he would never know.

"Look how pretty it is!" Sasuke heard her continued whining. He was tempted to shut the door to block out the sound, but refrained from doing so.

"It doesn't matter how pretty it is. You have not passed your test."

"But-"

"Do not argue with me on this."

Glancing over at the pair, Sasuke found himself feeling vaguely amused by Sakura's expression. She was puffing her cheeks out and scrunching her nose up, looking very much like a scolded, angry child. Itachi, in response, stared her down seriously and Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. Surely Sakura would have learned by now that hell would freeze over before Itachi backed down from anything? Nobody could win against him.

Okay, maybe Shisui could, but that didn't really count.

Shisui was like their older brother and had always had both of their backs, but had obviously had Itachi's a lot longer than his. Like with himself and Sakura, Shisui had been there since Itachi was only days old and had continued to be there for him, filling in the big brother role without even thinking about it. Over the years, it had been a great source of comfort and support for his older brother, who'd had so much pressure piled on top of him.

Anyway! What had he been worrying about? Oh, Sakura's birthday. Shit. What was he supposed to do now? Last year he'd gotten her… What had he gotten her again? He could remember what Itachi and Naruto bought her, because the latter's gift had her laughing for a while and the former's had her squealing with happiness. Had his done that? Sasuke wasn't so sure that it had.

Usually all he did was accompany her on one of Sakura's shopping trips and during it, he would buy her something that she really wanted, even though she could buy it for herself. What had it been last year?

It annoyed him that he couldn't remember.

Shrugging it off, he climbed out of the car and shut the door behind himself. It was probably something like a bracelet or a necklace. Maybe even a bottle of perfume.

And as he re-joined the two, Sasuke pushed the thought to the back of his mind, deciding to worry about it later. What mattered now was keeping Sakura from attacking Itachi and getting her ass kicked by him, since she was growing more and more annoyed with him by the second. He couldn't blame her, really. When he first received his car, Sasuke had wanted nothing more than to drive it _all the time_.

"Come, Sakura," Itachi sighed, clearly realising it was a waste of time and breath arguing with her. "I will drive you home."

"But then how will you get back-"

"It is a walk that takes ten minutes, at most. I will be fine."

"Fine," Sakura also sighed, but then clutched the keys tightly in her hand. "But can I drive?"

"No."

"But-"

It never ended with them, did it? They truly were like brother and sister. Itachi was the overprotective older brother and Sakura was the annoying little sister who got angry whenever something didn't go her way.

"You'll be in the car with me!" argued Sakura. "And I'll drive safely! Please?"

"Sakura-"

"You let Sasuke!" Oh, so that was her trump card? How weak. "You've been teaching Sasuke how to drive for months now and you let him drive if you're in the car with him. Why can't I?"

She had a point, in all fairness. Sasuke looked between them, wondering how the conversation would end. Would Itachi be swayed by her words? He highly doubted it. Itachi _never_ backed down from anything, not even Sakura could–

"On one condition."

Wait, what?

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You can drive to the highway and back to your home, but only if you keep to the limit."

And then he winced at Sakura's answering squeal of happiness.

It was official. He gave up with trying to figure out how she managed to sweet talk Itachi.

* * *

Sasuke always knew that Uzumaki Naruto had his uses.

There was no need to worry about how to approach the subject of Sakura's birthday with the blond, because he was already in panic mode about it. The second he'd realised what the date was and what it meant for next week, Naruto had more or less dragged Sasuke to the large shopping mall Sakura often frequented.

He despised the place.

It had too much going on all at once and it never failed to give him a headache. Music blared from every single store, their words blending together and becoming impossible to tell a part. Smells violated his nose from the cafeteria on the ground above the one they were currently walking along and if they looked up, they could see parts of the floor where people were eating. The floor was marble, but the balcony that gave that level a view of downstairs, was made of glass. To go with it was the expected screaming children and ridiculous gangs who thought they were all badasses.

"Shit, Sasuke, what're we gonna do?" whined Naruto. He folded his arms behind his head and made a beeline for a specific store. Sasuke merely followed wordlessly and gave his best effort _not_ to be touched by anyone, since he was a guy who needed his personal space. "Sakura-chan's birthday is in three freaking days!"

Like he needed reminding.

His… Wait, was Sakura his girlfriend, or not?

It didn't matter.

Whatever she was to him, she had a superficial streak, so for the past few days, all Sasuke had been hearing was "What've you got me, Sasuke-kun?" or "Is it a surprise?" which kind of made it impossible to have a decent conversation with her. Every now and then, Sakura would ask a smartly worded question and if it weren't for the lilt in her voice (it was such a giveaway and made her so easy to read), then Sasuke would have had no idea that she was dropping hints about her present, wanting nothing more than to find out what it was.

 _What could he get her?_

It had to be something she wanted, because Sakura also had a brat-ish side to her, too. On more than one occasion, he'd been made to sit through a rant of hers. She would be going off about how useless a specific gift was to her and saying things such as "What the hell were they thinking, buying me this?" and so on. It annoyed him, sure, but Sasuke simply went along with it.

 _What could he get her?_

The pressure was on, that was for sure.

Already he and Naruto had visited seven stores and even though the blond kept picking random novelty items up and buying them, Sasuke had been unable to find anything.

He didn't want it to be like all the previous years, where he couldn't even remember what he'd bought for her. This year had to be special for three reasons. The first was obviously because it was her sixteenth. The second was because this was the start of new (and hopefully incredible) things for them both. The final reason was because Sasuke couldn't find the words to express how grateful he was for her presence over the past few years. She'd been there for him even when he had pushed everyone away and refused to leave him alone. Even when he was such a dick to her, Sakura had still had his back and stood by his side almost protectively during his parents' funeral and all the times before and after it.

Without her… He'd be lost.

It was terrifying how much she meant to him, so Sasuke did his best to shove the feelings away and pretend that they didn't exist. It was what he was best at! Now, however, they were there and they demanded his attention. They demanded that he did something about his feelings before it was too late.

It was with that thought that Sasuke turned to leave the store with a single chuckle, ignoring Naruto as the blond yelled after him and shook his fist.

Gifts were material items.

What he wanted to give her, had to come from the heart.


	6. I Want It Now

**Chapter 6 – I Want It Now**

As expected of the Haruno family, the party for Sakura's sixteenth birthday was huge. It seemed like almost every person from school was there, as well as their family members and not for the first time, Sasuke thought it was a good thing that they had such a big house.

There were people running around in their swimming costumes, cannon-balling into the pool out back. There were just as many in and around the house which was blaring with music. Looking at some of the guests made him want to find Mebuki and remind her to lock the bedrooms with all things valuable in them. Did they even know half the people there? Did Sakura? He highly doubted it.

Sighing, Sasuke followed his older brother as he made his way through the crowds, smiling politely and knowingly making girls swoon in his wake. Jerk. At least with Itachi around, hardly any of them bothered him. They would keep him occupied, too, meaning Sasuke would have time to find Sakura and get her alone.

At the minute, that seemed impossible.

She was completely surrounded by the other girls from school, laughing and joking with one another. Stupid, in his opinion. It was all so stupid and fake. Before she became more outgoing, before she gained more confidence after sleeping with that idiot Naruto, none of those girls had so much as looked her way. They hadn't cared about her in the least (other than the fact she was Yamanaka Ino's friend, meaning they had to be at the very least polite to her), yet there they all stood in skimpy bikinis, acting like they'd been friends all their lives. How could sex change one person that much? How could it change their entire image?

Either way…

It was her birthday. He didn't want to interrupt.

Turning, Sasuke went to find Naruto.

The blond was with his parents when he found him, grinning brightly with his arms behind his head and for a brief second, he debated on walking away. They seemed so… complete and it left him feeling hollow on the inside. It made him feel as though he would be intruding if he joined them now.

A hand fell to his shoulder and he jolted, glancing over his shoulder, but he calmed when Itachi smiled down at him in understanding.

"Mebuki-san would like to know if you want any tomatoes, Sasuke. She has some freshly picked."

His eyes slid over to the picture Naruto's family made and he nodded in agreement.

He wondered if it would ever get any easier.

* * *

It was difficult keeping his concentration.

Surely Sakura was doing all this on purpose? What other reason would she have for repeatedly walking by him, dressed only in a bikini? Ino was with her, too and it only confirmed his suspicions: they were trying to get his attention. Well, they had it – Sakura had it, rather.

Her pale skin looked smooth and flawless and Sasuke found himself wanting to run his fingers over it, to feel if it was just as soft as it appeared. And while her breasts weren't overly large, or as big as Ino's (who was walking with her chest sticking out, making him wonder why she wanted to make them seem bigger than what they already were), he thought that they were a size he appreciated. They looked natural. Perky.

Don't even get him started on the view from the back.

Ino definitely had the bigger chest, but she couldn't compare to Sakura's ass. It was toned and you could actually tell she had an ass, whereas some of the other girls at the party looked flatter than a sheet of paper.

Damn it…

Turning on his heel and ignoring Naruto's yell of anger, Sasuke made a beeline to the stairs, intent on using the bathroom up there instead of the downstairs one. Since Mebuki knew him personally and knew he wouldn't try stealing anything, he knew she would allow him to go up there.

Really, what he needed was some time to himself. It was much too crowded down there and Sakura's figure was… It was getting to him. Physically getting to him and Sasuke sighed with relief as he entered the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind himself and making sure to lock it. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, he lowered his head into his hands, shielding his face and breathing deeply in order to calm himself.

Sakura was undeniably beautiful, but it wasn't until recently that he had noticed that. At first, to him, she had been attractive. Then, pretty. But now… Reluctantly, he smirked. She was using her figure to try and capture his attention, unaware of the fact that she already had it. She had always had it.

A soft knock on the door startled him and briefly, he contemplated ignoring it. Something told him to get up and answer, however.

He should have known that it would be Sakura.

Part of him was wary when she entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind herself and leaning back against it, smiling at him shyly as the turn of the lock seemed to echo deafeningly. Since when did Sakura do shy, as of late? Since when did she follow guys into the bathroom?

"Too crowded?"

Hardly. She knew exactly why he'd gotten out of there. He could see it in her stunningly green eyes.

"Happy birthday," he murmured.

Those eyes widened, stunned to hear the words before Sakura gave him the most beautiful smile he'd seen. When was the last time she'd truly smiled? Not the fake ones she gave to the people around school, or the reluctant ones she gave to Itachi, but a genuine, happy smile. For some reason the thought made his chest ache.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." A blush stained her cheeks and she bit her lip. "It's the first time you've ever said it, you know."

Was it? Surely not? This time, his own eyes widened and suddenly, Sasuke felt sick with himself. The reason why he never really remembered Sakura's birthdays was because he never really cared to remember. He simply handed over a meaningless gift and left her to it.

His fists clenched, very much like his jaw.

How could he have done that to her?

"Sakura-"

"Don't get caught up on it," she tried to soothe him. "It's just a birthday, right?"

But it meant a lot to her. Whether it mattered to him or not wasn't the problem – he knew where he stood. Sakura, however, always cared about special occasions such as those and since it was _her_ birthday, it was important that they celebrated it.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He looked back at her, surprised to find the worry creasing her brow. "Meet me at my place tomorrow, Sakura. Four o'clock."

Her frown deepened, but instead of concern, she looked confused and it vaguely amused him. Due to how smart she was (when she wanted to be) it was difficult to confuse her.

"Eh? Why? What are we doing?"

This time, he smirked. "I'm taking you out for dinner. It's your present."

It wasn't some expensive necklace or bracelet that would eventually fade in colour, break or get lost and it wasn't an outfit that would become forgotten about in the back of her never-ending wardrobe. Instead, Sasuke had stolen an idea or two from his brother's previous gifts and decided it should be something that they could do together, something that meant they would spend time together.

Childish delight lit up her entire expression and Sakura all but threw herself at him, squealing with excitement. Her previous smile returned, nearly splitting her face in half and it made him feel lighter on the inside when she laughed. The sound was happy, right in his ear and it was a sound he tried his best to savour. It made him feel like… It made him feel free.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, his arms came around her waist and just like he had wondered: her skin _was_ soft. Incredibly so. Dark eyes slipped shut and his breath left him in a sigh. How was Sakura able to fight off his negative feelings by doing the simplest of things? Just one smile, one touch or one look scared them all off. It made him feel like everything was going to be okay, like he was free.

What would he do without her?

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered, voice shaking with happiness. "Thank you!"

 _No, thank you._

* * *

It was slowly that he showered and dressed himself for the day ahead, memory still replaying yesterday's events without a second of pause. The reminder of how she felt in his arms refused to leave his mind, as did the constant reminder of how she was able to lift his mood without even trying.

Up until that moment together in the bathroom, Sasuke had not been enjoying the party and didn't even try denying that fact. There was no use. Everyone knew that, after the deaths of his parents, occasions such as birthdays or Christmas no longer held any meaning to him. However, when he was with her, she made him feel like he was finally a part of something, like he was no longer an outsider looking in on the events going on around him. The ever-present loneliness eased up when she was around.

Glancing at the clock, he calculated how long he would have before she turned up. If Sakura knew what was good for her, then she wouldn't be late. If anything, she should be early. The one thing that really pissed him off was when others kept him waiting, because it was time he could spend doing something more productive.

Like he should have known, however, Sakura arrived half an hour early, not for the first time taking his breath away with her appearance. Due to it being a chilly spring afternoon, she wore a jacket over her outfit, but that was the only way she tried to keep warm because under it, she wore a halterneck red dress that reached midthigh, along with those strange nearly black tights that weren't all that thick.

"Am I overdressed?" she asked, cheeks stained with a blush. "I wasn't sure what to wear."

 _You're beautiful._

"You look fine," he said instead.

It wasn't all that formal at the restaurant, so he simply wore a shirt with a pair of his best jeans and when they arrived, he was once again distracted as Sakura removed her jacket, showing him that the back of her dress was backless.

…And she wasn't wearing a bra.

Pretending to be engrossed with the menu, he skimmed through the contents, despite knowing exactly what he wanted to eat. Since she arrived so early, he and Sakura had decided to go to the restaurant earlier, though much to his annoyance she was the one to drive them, as he wasn't sixteen yet.

"Thank you for this, Sasuke-kun," she said after they told the waiter their order. "It really means a lot to me."

Yes, he could tell by the warmth that refused to leave her eyes. It was like she was fighting back a smile and it had Sasuke wondering how his presence could do that to a person. He wasn't as cheerful as Naruto, or as softly spoken as Itachi, or even as funny as Shisui! He was the one who never knew what to say, who always allowed his anger to get the best of him, who more times than not screwed up. He-

"Get out of that head of yours," Sakura teased with a giggle. "This is supposed to be a date!"

"It's not a date," came his automatic defensive reply.

Just as Sasuke was about to inwardly kick himself, however, Sakura replied by laughing and tilting her head to the side and under the table, he felt her cross her legs. How did he know? He knew because her foot not-so-innocently brushed against his leg.

"You can keep telling yourself that, but _I'm_ calling it a date."

A reluctant smirk curved his lips. She was so persistent, yet lately, he was finding that he quite liked that about her. Not because it made the chase less difficult for himself, but because it was refreshing to have somebody genuinely wanting to be in his presence and not simply because he was Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura wanted to be with him… Well, because she was in love with him.

They'd known each other since they were days old, way back before either of them knew about reputations and popularity. It meant that, no matter what happened, he could always count on Sakura to be by his side. She was perhaps the only stable part of his life. Even when everything was turning to shit, she stayed with him, picking him up again whenever she had to.

And for that, he would always be grateful.

* * *

Their dinner had been a success, in his eyes. Sakura continued to call it a date, whereas he refused to admit such a thing (it was more of a game now and the first one who gave in, lost – something they were both way too competitive to do).

When it was over, despite it already being way into the evening, he found himself not wanting to say goodbye just yet and instead invited her back to his place. Much to his gratefulness, Itachi still wasn't home and then when evening turned into night, he still wasn't ready to say goodbye and found himself saying something incredibly foolish.

"Sakura." She looked up at him and Sasuke could tell that she was chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously. "Stay the night with me."

Sakura had stayed the night before, but this felt different and he wondered if she could feel the change, too. It didn't feel like all the other times when she and Naruto had stayed at his home, or those two staying at hers (or even them staying at Naruto's). They were never truly alone like they were right at that moment in time. Sure, they'd stayed over at each other's houses with just the two of them, but there'd always been an adult present.

"I…" Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not going to sit here and guess at your thoughts, Sasuke. You need to be clear with me."

The loss of the '-kun' that was usually added to his name told Sasuke that she was serious, that she really needed him to be honest and blunt with her and it made him swallow nervously.

Standing from her seat on the windowsill in his room, Sakura walked over to him, her dress swaying around her. It felt wrong to stare at the flipping motion it made as she walked, however. The moment was too serious.

"If I stay the night," she began, hand pressing lightly to his chest, over his heart. "What would it mean to you?"

She knew him well enough to know that he needed a push in the right direction at times. Still, it was difficult finding the right words. If he said the wrong thing, Sakura would think he was only putting in an effort to have sex with her. If he said too much, he would fill her with false hopes, because there was no telling how things would progress between them. They could fall in love tomorrow and then out of love the next day!

"Would it just be sex to you?"

How could she even ask such a stupid question? Sakura, no matter how much she acted it at times, was certainly not stupid. "No."

A small smile pulled at her lips and she stepped impossibly closer. "And you'll still want me in the morning?"

The way her body fit against his had him once more nervously swallowing, trying to find an appropriate place to look. If he looked down at her, he could see her face, but if his eyes slipped just the slightest bit, then he had a breath-taking view of her cleavage and just the sight of it made him feel warmer.

He nodded.

Her confidence… How easily she made the first move… Who was this girl? Black eyes searched green, intrigued to find out more about her. Sasuke wanted to know everything. Desires, nervous habits, what made her laugh and what made her cry, how easy would it be to piss her off – he wanted to know them all. Most of all, he wanted to know the bold girl who firmly pushed him into the bed, her leg lifting and sliding over his body until she was straddling him.

Questions soared through his mind faster than he could keep up with. Was this too soon? What would happen to them if they had sex? Would they end up like her and Naruto? What if Itachi walked in on them? Did he even have any protection? Did Sakura? Had she told her parents she would be spending the night at his? What about Naruto and his feelings for her?

"Stop thinking so much," she chided quietly, lips mere millimetres from his own. "Just… live in the moment."

Live in the moment. Sasuke shut his eyes as she kissed him deeply. No time was wasted when her hands came up into his hair, tugging gently and at the same time, her teeth nibbled his lip and he breathed out a shaky sigh of pleasure. They hadn't even started and already he was…

Sakura laughed breathlessly, parting from him with a lingering kiss. Experimentally, she rolled her hips and he couldn't help the broken moan that sounded, head falling back into his pillows.

The sight of her above him was beautiful, there was no doubt about it and it became ten times better as she reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head, slowly dropping it to the floor. She appeared every bit as confident as she had moments ago – and with good reason.

Her body was nothing short of amazing. Of course, he'd already known that because of her party, but that was beside the point. There was a huge difference between her waltzing around in a bikini for the world to see, to her revealing laced underwear and matching strapless bra for him (he was a bit disappointed that she was wearing one after all), only. Her skin was flushed with arousal, gaze lidded and lips swollen from their kisses.

He reached up without hesitation, dragging her down against him as he rolled over. It was more difficult than they made it look in movies, with them both needing to take a moment or two to reposition themselves. They wasted no time in continuing their needy kisses. This time, his hands joined in, exploring her body like a starved man. Soft, soft skin met his fingers, rising and falling in time with her breathing and he looked up as he cupped her breast.

Watching her expression to know what she liked and how she liked it, Sasuke continued to explore, leaving wet kisses down her neck and to her breasts, which were soon freed from their confines (he wouldn't admit to anyone that she had to help, for his hands were suddenly too unsteady to fiddle with the stupid clasp). It seemed they were especially sensitive and beneath him, Sakura moaned, hands clutching his back and hair.

She was restless beneath him and he was aching, practically throbbing in his pants. Who wouldn't have felt the bordering on desperate need to feel more of her, though? There she was, clad in a pair of lacy thongs, rubbing herself against him, while he was still fully dressed.

Sasuke pulled back long enough to remove his shirt and throw it aside, soon followed by his pants. And when he returned to her…

 _Fuck._

She was wet already, soaking through his own underwear and Sasuke gripped her hip tightly, willing himself to hold on just that little bit longer. _It would be worth it_ , he reminded himself. _Don't finish too soon_ , he begged of himself.

He could see what Naruto meant by it all happening so fast, though. Despite the possible repercussions, despite where it could leave them or land them into, Sasuke was unwilling to stop. It was intoxicating. _She_ was intoxicating.

"I want you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered into his ear, nibbling the lobe. "Inside."

A shiver ran up his spine and he nodded quickly into her neck. They were both trembling while removing the last articles of their clothing, eyes meeting. There was no nervousness in her eyes, only a love so strong that it made him feel like he could never go without it. It warmed him entirely and he found himself drowning in her mesmerising green eyes, even when she was aligning their hips and guiding him to her entrance.

An involuntary moan left him as he pushed all the way in and the eye contact broke, his eyes squeezing shut. Amazing. It felt amazing. Warm and wet, wrapping around him like a vice. Beside her head, his arm flexed and soon, his stomach muscles tensed. Shit… How was he supposed to last when it felt so fucking good?

It was difficult finding a rhythm, Sasuke realised, and was incredibly grateful when Sakura gripped his hips and directed him into a slow grind that created wonderful friction for them both. Her hair spread out across his pillows as her head fell back onto them, expression contorted into one of extreme pleasure. The grip on his hips shifted once he found the rhythm she set, moving along his back and he faltered when her nails bit into his skin.

At the rate they were going…

Long creamy legs lifted, raising and bending until her knees were almost touching her shoulders and Sasuke joined her moan at the feeling of him slipping deeper inside.

"Sasuke-kun," she encouraged breathlessly when his pace picked up. "Yes, like that."

There was no more focusing on the struggle of keeping up his rhythm. His spine was tingling, balls feeling tighter than ever and he gritted his teeth, grabbing one of her legs to try and steady himself.

Her moan, a pitch higher than before, was his undoing.

And he could finally understand perfectly why Naruto was finding it impossible to forget about her.

Haruno Sakura…

His forehead pressed to hers while he tried to catch his breath, unable to stop himself from embracing her when Sakura lowered her legs and giggled, eyes shutting and nose scrunching up in a way that he was beginning to think was adorable (later, he would scold himself for such a sentimental, mushy thought).

It was impossible not to fall in love with her.

* * *

 **A/N - Please don't think I've forgotten about this story! I promise you all, I haven't. I'll admit I've been struggling with it and have had to re-read They Never Knew to try and piece together the memories I put in there of the two and their relationship, but I made a promise to you all that I would never leave a story unfinished. Even if it takes me a while, I _will_ finish it.**


	7. How Is That Possible?

**Chapter 7 – How Is That Possible?**

It was difficult keeping up with their lies. Well, not the lies specifically. More like the show they put on for everyone. Whenever he saw her, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to have her again and again until neither of them had any energy left.

In school was the worst. They had to be extra careful because of Naruto, who was still madly in love with Sakura and unknowingly making Sasuke grow angrier by the day. If it weren't for Naruto, they wouldn't feel the need to sneak around. If it weren't for him, there would have been no need for him to deny himself of Sakura. They could've been like the other couples in school, minus the unnecessary arguments and live sex shows they put on for the world. They could hold-

He was getting way too sentimental for his own good.

But who could really blame him? For the umpteenth time, his dark eyes drifted over to the back of Sakura's head. It was lucky for him that he was seated at the back of the class, meaning nobody would see him constantly looking over at her. Sakura was practically glowing, her smile taking people by surprise before they returned it just as brightly, happy that she was happy.

Something he'd never noticed before was the way she… not exactly controlled the other students, but influenced and affected them. Not the usual bullshit of the other males slobbering over her. It was the girls, too. They wore their skirts shorter, unbuttoned their blouses until a decent amount of cleavage was on show. They all hung on Sakura's every word, astounded by her newfound confidence and hoping that simply talking to her would make it rub off on them. They wanted to know how and where and why.

The feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket had Sasuke glancing around the class, trying to spot the teacher. He was stood with his back to them, writing on the board. Taking his chance, he looked down and pulled his phone out, surprised at the name on his screen.

Somehow, Sakura had changed her name on his phone. He wasn't even mad about it. He was impressed that she managed to do it without him noticing, especially considering she would have had to guess his password. What had she changed it to?

'Mrs Lover Lover' along with the heart eye emoji.

' _Want to try something at break, Mr Lover Lover?'_

Mr and Mrs? It was both ridiculous and amusing. Part of him was warning him that they had to be wary of others seeing their phones, however. Should they see the names, they would ask questions. No, they would demand answers.

When Sasuke looked up, he found Sakura innocently glancing over her shoulder and she raised an eyebrow, a challenging one. Before anyone else could notice, she turned back around, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

' _What do you have in mind?'_

Within seconds, he got his reply.

' _That would be telling. Just meet me by the offices.'_

Why was his gut telling him that it was a bad idea?

* * *

"Nobody will find us."

The hands holding onto his were stronger than he recalled them being, easily dragging Sasuke into one of the vacant offices. Luckily for them, the receptionist wasn't around. It seemed ridiculous to him, though. When were students more likely to go to reception with a problem? At break. Who the hell would go for theirs at the same time?

"This is a bad idea," he told her.

The look she gave him was a daring one, her eyes wild with an emotion he couldn't read. "Don't you want to?"

Yes. With every fibre of his being he wanted to. But the chances of being caught were too high. They were in one of the main offices.

Once the door was shut behind them, Sakura closed the distance between them, coming to stand in front of him and staring up at him with those mesmerising green eyes. Today, they were framed by thick, black eyelashes and winged eyeliner, making the colour of them seem even brighter than ever.

"I need you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered and her hands came to his face, tilting it downwards so that their lips were closer. "I really need you to make me c-"

He cut the vulgar words off by bringing their lips together, returning her needy kiss with one of his own. He understood exactly how she felt. His body _ached_ to be near hers, to feel hers. And he couldn't understand why other guys his age slept with many different girls, when he couldn't even get enough of the one. He didn't have time to think about other girls because Sakura unknowingly dominated his every thought.

In his mind, it didn't matter that they were still classed as kids. Adults looked down their noses at them when they knew of their activities, forgetting what it was like to be at their age, with their hormones running rampant as puberty hit them at full force. Once they knew the pleasure sex brought to them, how the hell were they supposed to ignore the temptation? If they were both willing and knew what they were doing, if they were using protection, what was the problem?

 _Fuck them,_ his mind snarled. _Fuck them and their snotty, traditional ways._

Sakura gasped as his momentary anger caused him to tighten his grip considerably and push her against a desk, and Sasuke froze, apology already halfway from his lips when she told him, "Don't be sorry. I… liked it."

No. It felt wrong being rough with her. She was… She was Sakura. Sasuke sighed against her lips before kissing them gently, offering another apology. Even though she was tougher than she looked and perfectly capable of defending herself, he vehemently refused to ever be rough with her.

She was smiling into their kiss, fingers running through his hair, whereas he reached down and helped her up onto the desk, coming to stand between her legs. The skin of her thighs was soft beneath his fingers and he longed to feel them against his again, to feel them wrapping tightly around his hips.

But just as Sakura began to work on his pants, unbuttoning them deftly, they both froze as the door behind them opened. Sasuke could feel his entire face burning hotly, along with the back of his neck and the tips of his ears.

Sheepishly, Sakura smiled at the shocked and angry teacher. "Oops."

* * *

Oops?

 _Oops?_

They were lucky the teacher had let them off as easily as he had. He could've called her parents and Itachi into the school, demanding that they be punished outside of school, too. Fortunately, they only got detention for the rest of the week, which he would somehow have to explain to Itachi.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun," she said with a carefree giggle. "It was pretty funny."

No. No it wasn't. He was still red just thinking about it. They were late home due to the detention, but they no longer had to wait around for the bus now that Sakura could drive. What excuse could he use to get himself out of trouble with Itachi, without making it known that he and Sakura were… whatever the hell they were? If he found out, there would be strict rules placed on them both. They would never be left alone in the house. All trust would disappear.

"Maybe we should have a party on Friday."

It wasn't a question. Sasuke scowled over at her. "Do you really think we should be thinking about partying right now?"

She shrugged carelessly, doing a messy turn. He wondered if he was a better driver than her. "Why not? I think it could be good."

"Let me guess: it should be at my place."

Sakura sent him a bright grin. "We're having downstairs redecorated on Friday. Mom will throw a fit if anything happened."

Oh, so it was fine if it happened to his house? Sasuke grumbled to himself, not bothering to reply to her. Itachi wouldn't be against the party, as long as there was no alcohol, which, in all honesty, there would be. Who threw a party where everyone was sober? Even he knew it would be dull.

"Live in the moment," she repeated the words she said during their first time together.

Live in the moment. It was easy for her to say. Unlike himself, there weren't huge expectations of her. Sasuke was in no way suggesting that Sakura wasn't as important as himself, or that her dreams and aspirations weren't important. However, she didn't even know what the hell she wanted to do with her life, or what she wanted to be and while her grades were exceptional, they didn't _have_ to be that way. Not like his did. There were no dead parents she clung to desperately, wanting to please them even after death.

As though catching onto his thoughts, Sakura pouted.

* * *

Somehow, she managed to talk him into throwing a party.

He just…

How? How had she talked him into it?

It was a great party, there was no doubt about it. Everyone around him was having a great time, the house actually felt _alive_ instead of stiff and traditional, instead of like a museum. A part of him worried endlessly over the state of the house, but he'd locked away all possessions, especially anything belonging to his parents. Anything of sentimental value was hidden from sight and only _he_ was capable of gaining access to them. Not even Sakura or Naruto could get to them.

Itachi was away. A night out with Shisui, or something like that. He had no idea what was happening in their home – hopefully, he never would. While he would be all for his younger brother having a good time with friends, there was no telling how he would react if he found out there was alcohol and underage sex at the party and Sasuke had every intention of forcing Sakura to stay overnight to help him clean up in the morning. It was, after all, her idea to throw a party. If he was being completely honest, it was more her party than his. Though, saying that, Sasuke couldn't deny that he was also enjoying himself. As he'd been saying: it was a good change around his house. It no longer felt empty or lifeless and he actually wanted to be there for once.

Delicate fingers trailed down his arm and he looked up in time to see Sakura making her way over to the stairs, sending a discreet glance over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were lidded with both the effects of alcohol and arousal, lower lip gently pulled between her teeth in a way that had his blood boiling as he recalled the way she bit his own lip, had him immediately following after her to feel it again. Gods, would he ever grow tired of her? Would he ever _not_ feel the need to have her?

"Sasuke-kun," somebody called behind him. "Great party!"

He nodded vaguely in the girl's direction, not knowing who it was who was speaking to him and not caring, either. Hell, Sasuke didn't know two thirds of the people at his party. Some of them were familiar faces, but at most, they were only people he'd seen around the school. Not anyone he'd interacted with on a meaningful level, therefore, they didn't matter to him.

By the time he made it to his bedroom, Sakura was already naked and there was no denying that he was hard at just the thought of her waiting for him like that. He shut the door without another thought, locking it for good measure.

"I missed you, Sasuke-kun." She lowered herself onto the bed, hands coming to rest above her head and she arched her back, making her breasts stand out even more, eyes shutting. The picture of seduction. Of sin. Perfection. And the final nail in the coffin was the biting of her lip, a soft sigh leaving her. "You're the only one who can make it all go away."

What? Sasuke held back his urge to frown and stopped in his approach of the bed. At his silence, green eyes opened, peering at him curiously.

"What did you say?" he asked.

She didn't answer immediately, almost like she'd suddenly lost all ability to talk. Eyes were a fraction wider, lips parting. A deer caught in the headlights. "I…"

When the words died on her tongue, voice trailing off unsurely, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Where the hell had that even come from? What did he make go away? What problems was she having that he didn't know about? Why hadn't he noticed anything other than her obvious personality change? It was so frustrating.

Finally, he was capable of movement. He walked to the bed, casually draping the end of his covers over her body. It made it easier to talk to her when her nakedness wasn't being a total distraction. "Tell me."

A shy smile pulled at her lips and she breathed out a chuckle, tugging the sheets higher. "C'mon, Sasuke-kun. Are we here for sex or for a psychoanalysis?"

It seemed somewhere down the line, she'd gotten the impression that what was going on between them was just sex and for the life of him, Sasuke couldn't find the words to change her mind. Couldn't figure out how to explain what she meant to him. It was like the words wouldn't form. Couldn't form. Gods, he wanted to tell her differently. Wanted her to know that it wasn't just about sex – not for him, at least.

"Sakura."

She sighed, head falling back onto the pillows with a huff of annoyance. "Just… things, Sasuke-kun. It's nothing, honestly." He refused to answer, instead watching her silently until she finally responded, saying quietly, "Everything feels like it's going too fast. Some days I can't…" It stunned him when tears threatened to fill her eyes, when she tilted her head in the other direction so he couldn't see them. "I can't even keep up with my own thoughts anymore – or understand them. Almost like I'm a stranger in my own mind."

That certainly explained her recent actions, especially the ones that seemed so out of character for her. It explained why she seemed so different. If she couldn't even keep up with her thoughts, if they were racing through her mind, never allowing her to pinpoint a single one of them, then…

"Everything's scrambled and it makes me so… frustrated," she whispered before looking back at him. "But with you, Sasuke-kun, it's bearable."

How? How could he possibly make it bearable for her?

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry for taking so long to update for you guys. This story is so much harder to write for than I'd imagined, but like I always say: I'll never give up on a story. I'll never do that to my readers, I know how frustrating it is to really get into a story, only to find out it's never going to be finished.**


End file.
